Number of use-of-force incidents in city jails hit an all-time high in January: report

The number of violent incidents in city jails hit an all-time high in January despite a major drop in the inmate population, a federal monitor reported Wednesday.

There were 550 uses of force by jail staff against detainees throughout the system in January, according to the 203-page report by independent monitor Steve Martin. By contrast, there were 318 similar incidents in March 2017, records show.

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“The department continues to be plagued by high numbers of uses of force,” the report says.

The violence has gone up “because the staff-inmate culture has not changed,” according to Martin.

“Staff continue to needlessly escalate situations, and too often engage at a level that is disproportionate to the severity of the circumstance,” the report says. “These dynamics produce a vicious cycle that further entrenches distrust and prevents the development of a functional, safe correctional environment.”

Investigations into violent incidents often drag on for months, the report said.

“The department continues to struggle with conducting timely investigations that result in reasonable outcomes,” the report said.

“Investigations are biased, ignore clear evidence of staff wrongdoing and take years to complete. Officers get away with the same boilerplate excuse,” said Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society.

The independent monitor was appointed after a lawsuit was brought by Legal Aid and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office. The legal case charged that teen inmates were regularly being beaten by officers.

DOC commissioner Cynthia Brann said the department is looking to make improvements.

“The work we’re doing to turn this department around clearly is not finished, and we still have a long road to travel,” she said in a statement. “This report is sobering, and we’re taking a clear-eyed look at addressing the issues outlined by the monitor and picking up the pace of our reforms.”

The department is in the process of expanding its use of body cameras for officers. Jail brass is also seeking to speed up internal investigations into alleged officer misconduct.

Additionally, the department is developing a rapid response team to focus on areas with a spike in violence.